US Ed Dept. adds 12 schools to Title IX list

BALTIMORE (AP) — The U.S. Department of Education has added 12 colleges and universities to its growing list of educational institutions being investigated for their handling of sexual abuse allegations.

In May, the Department’s Office for Civil Rights made public the names of schools under investigation for possible violations of Title IX, which prohibits gender discrimination at institutions receiving federal funds. It pledged to update the log on a weekly basis. The most recent version of the list was published on Wednesday, and now includes 67 schools.

The schools on the list range from small colleges to large universities, across 32 states.

Among the 12 newly added institutions are Morgan State University in Baltimore; the University of Delaware; and Elmira College in Elmira, New York.

Some of the investigations came from complaints made to the Department, while others were launched following compliance reviews.

The Department has said just because a school is listed does not mean it has violated the law, only that it is under investigation. The list does not include any details about what prompted complaints.

Morgan State University spokesman Clinton Coleman said the complaint against the school, filed on June 26, was over sexual assault that occurred on campus during the 2014 spring semester. Coleman said the assault took place in February, but was not reported until late March. The incident was referred to the Baltimore City Police Department, he said.

Morgan State University; University of Delaware, University of Richmond; and Elmira College acknowledged that they are cooperating with the Office of Civil Rights.

Other newly named schools include the University of Alaska System of Higher Education, Colorado State University in Fort Collins; Washburn University in Topeka, Kansas; Berklee College of Music in Boston; Missouri University of Science and Technology in Rolla; The University of Akron in Ohio; Cisco Junior College in Texas; and James Madison University in Harrisonburg, Virginia.

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